Tag: video game controllers

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I have not had much time to post new articles (long or short lately), but let us get the last full week of September off to a good start with a new edition of the Pook-Emu Bee.

1 | Linux 7.3 Adds Support For Victrix Pro BFG & Azeron Controllers (Michael Larabel for Phoronix. Sep. 20, 2026.)
I have questions here. First, why is that controller $269? Second, why does it look like a hand with six fingers? I can’t weigh in on the new Linux support until those threshold questions are answered.

2 | Jane Austen’s 8-Bit Adventure Switch Review (Game Slush Pile. Sep. 19, 2026.)
The review makes it sound uninspiring. But what if you tried playing it with the “hand” controller? (See above.)

3 | NYC judge fails to take bite out of crime after repeat offender chomps on cop (Tina Moore for the New York Post. Sep. 19, 2026.)
I understand that the pro-crime judge is reluctant to remand anyone to custody, but what if we compromised and all agreed to send him to the pound?

4 | Hyperlocal New York City publications are having a moment (Hannah Frishberg for Gothamist. Sep. 17, 2026.)
I added a few of these to my feed collection. We’ll see if there are any Pook-Emu Bee links to be had.

5 | Judge Strikes Down Controversial Rule Changes Benefitting Embattled Brooklyn Party Boss (The City Repoter (via The Haitian Times). Sep. 17, 2026.)
Call me a romantic but I’m not counting out the possibility that Frank Seddio still has some magic left (see link 9 in Pook-Emu Bee 08-27-26). There are some notable contextual omissions in this ostensibly straightforward news report, but I choose to stick with the Seddio jokes.

6 | NYC ‘animal lover’ accused of stealing beloved bodega cat furiously claims she was unfairly arrested (Georgett Roberts and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon for the New York Post. Sep. 16, 2026.)
Pro-tip: If your position is that you are just a cat lover who genuinely thought the cat was a stray, try to avoid repeatedly referring to the cat you claim you thought you were rescuing as the “f—ing cat.”

7 | AOC Blasts Patriots Owner Robert Kraft for ‘Censoring’ Macklemore from Criticizing Israel (Dylan Gwinn for the New York Post. Sep. 16, 2026.)
Strange. Here I thought the Congresswoman was a big fan of Israel-related boycotts.

8 | After Landmarks Review, Hotel Bossert Moves Ahead With Reno, Ritz-Carlton (Anna Bradley-Smith for Brownstoner. Sep. 16, 2026.)
It sounds like the new owners are working in good faith to maintain the landmark while getting it up and running again. I approve.

9 | Who Is feeding the sudden panic about AI? (Issues & Insights. Sep. 15, 2026.)
The big AI companies and their lobbyists (both of the witting and unwitting variety). I try to be a reality-based AI critic as I fight to keep the scrapers from crashing my sites (preventing stealing my stuff is nice but sometimes you have to focus on the practical wins). That leads us to a fitting final link…

10 | Daily News Stuff 20 September 2026 (Pixy Misa at Ambient Irony. Sep. 20, 2026.)
The replies to excerpts from AI safety conversations have gotten unbelievable made me laugh and reminded me of how my friend was able to make himself look smart in front of friends and colleagues by sharing my 2021 election wisdom that, notwithstanding the polls, there was in fact no scenario wherein Andrew Yang would become Mayor of New York City.

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I failed to post daily Pook-Emu Bee links on Sunday (out) and yesterday (work). But I return to you on this fair morning of April 28, 2026, with nine links from around the world wide web.

1. Hipster NYC straphangers fear third straight summer of hell on G train: ‘Here we are again’ (Nicole Rosenthal, Sofia Pozansky, and Haley Brown for the New York Post).

I remembered having published a short post about G train upgrades and assumed that I had published it here on ECS. It turns out I published it as a “Leaf Bud” short post on NLJ all the way back in August 2023, before this site existed. We can track MTA time through my link posts.

2. Obama-Biden Iran Negotiator Says Trump Doesn’t Have Enough Experts, Bemoans ‘Genocide’ in Gaza (Ira Stoll for The Washington Free Beacon. April 28, 2026.)

How do you write an article about Wendy Sherman without noting the leading role she played in prevening North Korea from obtaining nuclear weapons!? Wait. I’m getting an update…

3. “Pathetic. Keyboard Courage. Can’t Stand It” – Call Of Duty Movie Director Has A Dim View Of The Video Game Series (Damien McFerran for Time Extension. April 28, 2026.)

I never played Call of Duty and will not see the Call of Duty movie. But as an outside observer, it seems odd to choose as the director of a Call of Duty movie someone who is on record as holding the audience for said movie in contempt. For example, you would probably be unwise to hire me to direct a movie celebrating a game which makes heavy use of generative AI, right? But what do I know? I’m not a Hollywood executive.

4. Valve Confirms Steam Controller Release Date, $99 Price (Michael Larabel for Poronix. April 27, 2026.)

It looks tempting…

5. U.S. companies back Sam Altman’s World ID even as much of the world pushes back (Ananya Battacharya for Rest of World. April 27, 2026.)

The article notes three U.S. companies, at least one of which has engaged in censorship on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party, and a few countries from around the world. Oversell, under-deliver. With that being said, I too will pass on the Sam Altman eye-scan thing.

6. I Stumbled Across My Boyfriend’s ChatGPT and It Ended Our Relationship (Lindsey Hall. March 31, 2026.)

This article gives you a TMI feeling when you read it. I will link it less as a recommendation and more because it gives me an opportunity to dispense life advice: Don’t ask chatbots for relationship advice.

7. A telltale AI phrase is taking over corporate comms (Molly Liebergall for Morning Brew. April 24, 2026.)

It’s not AI, but… wait… yeah it’s probably AI.

8. Ralph Sampson: Why He Can’t Be a Winner in Houston, 1986 (Bob Kuska from Way Downtown, reprinting article by Fran Blinebury froom March 1986 issue of Basketball Digest. April 24, 2026.)

Looking back at the NBA’s first, and perhaps only, 7’4″ forward.

9. Fernando Mendoza, System QB (Mike Tanner for Too Deep Zone. April 20, 2026.)

No one with any credibility ranks Mendoza in the Trevor Lawrence S-tier of recent quarterback prospects. No one but the dedicated naysayers foresee an epic bust.

This line struck me as interesting since my understanding as a distant follower of today’s NFL is that Trevor Lawrence has not yet turned into an S-tier NFL quarterback (albeit I understand he had a very nice season in 2025.)

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I am winding down a big project today. But I take a brief break to publish our daily Pook-Emu Bee links.

1. I Just Moved From Manjaro Linux To EndeavourOS (Danie van der Merwe at GadgeteerZA. March 25, 2026.)

I made the same Manjaro-to-EndeavourOS move back in July or August of 2022. No regrets. Good move.

2. USC Cancels Gubernatorial Debate Due to Absence of Candidates of Color (Jonathan Turley. March 25, 2026.)

Xavier Baccera, the previous Secretary of Health and Human Services and former Attorney General of California, is running for Governor. He was locked out of the then-upcoming debate because he failed to hit the 3% polling threshold. Normal people would think “wow, I can’t hit the 3% polling threshold that is being hit by political titans of our time such as U.S. Representatives Eric Swalwell (who may or may not actually live in California) and Katie Porter and former long-shot presidential candidate Tom Steyer, maybe I should drop out and preserve my dignity.” But Mr. Baccera is no mere normal person. He fell on the sword and performed a public service by getting the entire debate cancelled. He may not be the next Governor of California, but let no one question is service in support of the greater good.

3. Stadia Controller Reborn As Bluetooth Gamepad Adapter (Ian Bos for Hackaday. March 25, 2026.)

I praised Google back in 2023 for making it possible for unfortunate owners of its former Stadia service to continue using their controllers. Stadia controller owners are becoming creative here in 2026.

4. Hochul’s ‘ominous’ poll results give GOP challenger Bruce Blakeman a potential path to victory (Vaugn Golden and Carl Campanile for the New York Post. March 25, 2026.)

“Wishful thinking” is not a “path to victory.”

5. Meadow is a distraction-light phone with a 3 inch screen and just a few apps (Brad Linder for Liliputing. March 25, 2026.)

The form-factor is adorabe. The product is.,.. odd.

6. Wine 11 rewrites how Linux runs Windows games at the kernel level, and the speed gains are massive (Adam Conway for XDA Developers. March 23, 2026.)

The technical specifics are a bit beyond me but it sounds very promising in the aggregate.

7. City Council approves plans for a 72-story Brooklyn tower (Emily Davis for the New York Post. March 11, 2026.)

It will be the second tallest building in Brooklyn behind Brooklyn Tower, which loomed in the background in one of my recent articles.

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Replied to Hyperkin's "No-Drift" N64 Stick Is Available Now by Damien McFerran (Time Extension)
Accessory maker Hyperkin has just released a Hall Effect stick for the N64, a "no-drift, GameCube-style" replacement that "requires zero soldering."

A new Time Extension news report about Hyperkin’s hall effect Nintendo 64 joystick mod crossed my feed reader. When I first read the article, I thought I had previously written about this in The New Leaf Journal, but it turns out that I had written about an 8BitDo hall effect mod. I happen to be a fan both of good hall effect controllers and the original, unique, Nintendo 64 joystick. The latter point gives me some pause about the Hyperkin mod. I quote from the Time Extension report: “Mimicking the GameCube’s analogue stick, you’ll be able to ‘feel the nostalgia and comfort of the GameCube era while dominating your favourite N64 games. This stick is designed for maximum comfort and a competitive edge, making long gaming sessions a breeze.'” While I prefer the GameCube controller to the Nintendo 64 controller, the Nintendo 64 had a more interesting (albeit less durable) joystick. If we are releasing mods, I would prefer one that preserves the feel of the original instead of replacing it with a more generic GameCube-style joystick, durability aside.